The Spin in association with the Oxford Playhouse presents: Hejira @ Oxford Playhouse, Monday 30th June, Doors: 7.30 pm
The Spin in association with the Oxford Playhouse presents: Hejira @ Oxford Playhouse, Monday 30th June, Doors: 7.30 pm
* You will be re-directed to the Oxford Playhouse website for tickets.
Doors: 7.30pm
Hello Folks!
We are delighted to announce our first collaboration with the Oxford Playhouse, presenting ‘Hejira: celebrating Joni Mitchell’
Hejira began its life at The Spin, just over two years ago as the ‘Christmas gig’ 2023. There was no plan for it to develop into the project it has become...but in 2024, the band played 50 gigs across the UK and Ireland - and they have a similar-looking itinerary shaping up for 2025!
Led by the world-class vocalist, Hattie Whitehead, the band has carved a top-end niche for itself, performing Joni’s great works from her so-called 'jazz period'. They initially were capturing the vibe of the ‘Shadows & Light’ supergroup that Joni toured with in 1979 but have since gone further, by arranging other great songs (not recorded on that album) – imagining how perhaps the Shadows & Light band might have performed them! These include ‘Song For Sharon’, ‘The Hissing Of Summer Lawns’, ‘Just Like This Train’, ‘Blue Motel Room’, ‘Love’, ‘A Case Of You’... alongside the other biggies such as ‘Amelia’, ‘Hejira’, ‘Black Crow’ etc.
They have sold-out at many great UK venues, including the Jazz Cafe (Camden), the Oxford Festival of Arts and the London Jazz Festival. From this last, they recorded their debut album, ‘Live @ The Cockpit’. (This was cited by the publication ‘Jazz Views’ as being an ‘Album of the Year, 2024’!)
Jazzwise – the UK's leading publication wrote: “Whitehead is one of the greatest singers I have ever heard”
...and this from UK Jazz News:
“Hattie Whitehead’s voice is strikingly like Joni’s – pitch-perfect and pure – though with her own unique vibrato that added a sense of the unfamiliar to tunes…The band were incredibly strong musicians and there were real moments of flair….Go and see this music performed live – with all the musicality, intensity and passion it so richly deserves.”
The full personnel is:
Hattie Whitehead ~ vocals; guitars
Pete Oxley ~ guitars
Ollie Weston ~ saxophones; bass clarinet
Chris Eldred ~ keyboards
Dave Jones ~ bass
Rick Finlay ~ drums
Marc Cecil ~ percussion
We really hope you will come out to support this gig – and our new venture with the Oxford Playhouse.
The show is going to be recorded and filmed for Hejira's next album...so the band would absolutely love to have your participation! (Also, a full house will enable the Spin to promote serious, international artists, going forward!!).
We'll leave you with this line from our club's No.1 guitar supremo, John Etheridge: “I was mesmerized by this interpretation of the great music of the legendary Joni Mitchell with the sensational vocals of Hattie Whitehead and illustrious band led by Pete Oxley”
Tickets are now on sale, so please….book NOW!!!
Over the last 20+ years, The Spin has presented live music of the highest calibre within the broad 'contemporary jazz' genre, creating scintillating nights out for anybody with a taste for interesting, exciting, alluring and luscious music.
At The Spin, we believe that our events should be accessible to all, as well as affordable. This, in part, is only made possible with the help of our team of generous volunteers, who volunteer not only their time but also their expertise towards making our gigs the success that they are.
Every musician who plays at The Spin gets properly paid - and it is through your ticket purchases alone that we can do that. Our events are run on a tight budget to keep ticket prices down; we realise that not everyone can afford or may be willing to pay for higher ticket prices. However, for those of you who are happy to pay a little more and contribute further to the efforts of The Spin, we are giving you the opportunity to ’support the club' by making a voluntary contribution on top of your ticket price. These donations will be greatly appreciated and will help us to continue putting on our fantastic live jazz events.
